So anyway...
This baby was not wanting to come. I was still cranky, uncomfortable, irritable, and I think EVERYONE wanted me to have this kid already. We were coming upon January 21st very quickly. I was finishing up things at work & getting things ready around the house. Nesting to a point...but it had to be done!
It was a Friday. I went in early, got hooked up & monitored, nearly passed out, got oxygen, and couldn't eat anything the entire time. I lied there miserable, frustrated & wanting it all to just be over with. That's why I set up like this in the first place! Family, friends & health professionals couldn't believe it was taking so long. I needed it over. Badly. Not just for my own sanity, but for the well being of any & all of those around me. I was DONE & desperately needed to move onto the next chapter...because the journey getting to this point had been so difficult & scary.
I almost passed out while being hooked up. I couldn't eat anything, but I was ready to do this! We got started around 7:00 in the morning. They had to put on the monitor in BIG letters that I was high-risk. So we got the task going. I was more than ready to HAVE THIS KID!
The day wore on...and the nurses were fully expecting things to go quickly considering this is my 3rd time around.
As the day droned on...we got to see family come in off & on, we got to see friends off & on, we got our off & on visits from poor Young Doc.
My contractions weren't really happening, no matter what we did. The nurses thought my monitoring wires had slipped. But...no. I laid there frustrated & sad that things...just...weren't...going.
By this time, we had even gotten a visit from church friends, and...AND???...I got a visit from heaven-sent OB/GYN AND his nurse...at the same time! Poor doc was still in a sling, but they came to see how thing were doing anyway. Guess what I did! If you guessed "Cried" for $400...you win!
As the day wore on...there was still nothing. I will leave it as "several things were tried." By that evening, things were finally going again. I was hungry. I was tired. I was frustrated. The nurses at the nurses station would check on me because they figured I would have had this kid already. I was told that the nurses were ready to blame other nurses for not changing their board yet...because there is NO way a 3rd pregnancy & labor should ever take this long. Except this one...apparently.
Now, hubby & I had agreed from our FIRST PREGNANCY TOGETHER that an epidural would NEVER be used. We saw a video that scared us really badly! And I didn't use one for the first 2. Young Doc wanted us to use one. It had to do with the high risk thingy...but we refused. He kept pushing us though...and we were getting frustrated with him AND the long labor. Not OK.
Eventually, Young Doc had the anesthesiologist come in to talk to us about the epidural...around 10:00 that night. (Yes...it was taking this long.) The anesthesiologist explained an epidural like we didn't already know what it was. Even the nurses said we could not be forced to use one. And after a crazy-over-technical explanation, the anesthesiologist left the room. The nurses put it in layman's terms anyway, even though we already knew. And then, a moment of greatness happened...the anesthesiologist entered back into the room and said, "Now, that was just for your information. It's your decision. No one can make you have one." If I could have danced for joy in that moment...I might have. I think I cried again instead.
Not long after that, things REALLY started progressing...FINALLY!!
I will try to spare you several details...but after a very frustrated Young Doc figured out there was no chance of us doing an epidural...it was time to start pushing! FINALLY!!
I don't know how long it went...but I remember the voice of Young Doc, as remembering I really wanted to have this baby TODAY, he yelled, "C'mon, Erica! You only have 10 minutes!!" I pushed harder & that baby boy was out 6 minutes later. WHEW!!!
It was over. My baby boy was born on his own day to celebrate...barely. Born at 11:56 PM. One of the longest days of my life...EVER!
Now, there were a couple of very unhappy grandparents in all of this. Hubby didn't make it out to the waiting area...where the ALL of the family and a few friends waited almost the entire day with us...until after midnight. Why were 2 of them upset? My mom missed the announcement due to needing to step away for a moment. The other one was mom-n-law...who totally figured the baby would wait until the wee-early morning hours of Saturday, January 22nd...HER birthday...to be born.
And...I was exhausted, I was hungry, I was relieved. We had 7.3 pound, healthy baby boy to show for all the work.
In retrospect...I'm wondering if this was the reason he was being so stubborn:
But, all of this happened 8 years ago. It hardly seems possible. Lil Guy has brought us such joy in these few years of his existence. We did decide that he is twins all by himself. He is ALL of the good, as well as ALL of the bad of Teen Girl AND Teen Boy put together.
Lil guy is smart, witty, hilarious, creative, talented, athletic, cool & an all around great kid.
Even though he came a year & a half early, we are so glad he got here when he did.
He has been the attention of nearly all the girls in one of his preschool classes (no joke), and now he excels at most anything he does or puts his mind to. He is a great reader, usually the best or one of the best players on any team of any sport he plays, he was chosen for student council, and can make friends very quickly.
He's our Captain America leader type. And, even though he can be a booger, we love him & are proud of everything he does...except when MEANIE CHIN tells him otherwise.
And, lovingly, he is our last.
And we wish him another fantastic birthday! He was worth the extra effort.
Stay tuned...
God Bless, AM~Erica
ME no like pain. My Daddy was a Doc. His birth day was the 18th. My birth day is the 18th. I said: I don't care! put me out. Get the kid out. Just get over it. I have a wonderful son who was born at 6:45 the evening of the 17th.
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